At least 60 people with irregular residence in Spain “bought” employment contracts from a consulting firm in Murcia between 2019 and 2020 in order to apply for legal residence permits. They paid amounts between 2,000 and 6,500 euros and sometimes received their papers in this way. The Investigative Court No. 8 of Murcia has just completed the investigation phase of this case and considers that there are clear indications to continue the trial against a total of 18 people: the owner of the consulting firm and his son, half a dozen bogus men and company representatives , who did not act on behalf of those who issued the false contracts, and a dozen immigrants who fell into the networks of the conspiracy.
According to the order by which the court this week notified the parties of its intention to proceed with the case and open a hearing, the leader of this conspiracy is the owner of the consulting firm, who, together with one of his sons, “Has gotten used to everyone , immigrants, companies, frontmen, etc., with the sole aim of personal enrichment.” And he did this, says the order to which EL PAÍS had access, by “abusing the need and misery of weak and desperate citizens ” and “even presented himself at the judicial headquarters as a kind of redeemer or savior messiah.” The judge emphasizes that this man admitted in his statement during the investigation phase that he had offered contracts to foreign people in order to give them “a chance” and that he had shown himself “as a father figure”, similar to his son, a lawyer who, according to the investigation, was responsible for collecting the contracts, whether in cash or by bank transfer.
The judicial investigation revealed that the procedure was similar in all cases: the owner of the consulting company offered the person in an irregular situation the possibility of paying a contract so that he could apply for a residence permit. In some cases, the immigrants, all of North African origin, paid a first installment upon receiving the contract and the rest when they managed to legalize themselves. In their statements during the investigation phase, many of them stated that the entrepreneur himself told them that they would not work for any company, that the contract for which they paid only provided for the requirement of the papers and that they would work once them received the permits.
According to the order, the contracts were signed with several companies in the construction and agricultural sectors, but they had little or no activity. This is exactly what raised alarm bells at immigration authorities, given the high number of residence permit applications linked to the same companies.
For the judge, who has been assisted by a magistrate for three months to speed up the investigation of this case, there is clear evidence that the defendants have committed crimes against the rights of workers belonging to a criminal association or group. Crime, forgery, fraud, money laundering and usurpation of civil status.
Regarding the allegations against the immigrants who paid for the contracts, the order clarifies that most of them said they felt deceived by the consultant, but that there was “nevertheless evidence that the presentation was false.” “to accept, even if because of their need, contracts that knew they were unreal.”
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